This invention relates to the automated processing of bulk mail, including extraction of documents from envelopes as well as remittance processing of the extracted documents.
A variety of organizations customarily receive mail in large quantities and in bulk form, and a number of devices have been developed to facilitate the handling of such mail so as to enhance productivity. One such productivity aid is generally characterized by devices which are used for receiving mail (i.e., envelopes) in bulk form, and for extracting contents (i.e., documents) from such mail for subsequent processing. This may simply include an extraction of documents from envelopes, for subsequent processing making use of other devises, or by hand. However, such extraction may further include sorting procedures for directing only specified types of envelopes to the extraction apparatus and/or orienting procedures for organizing the extracted documents prior to their further processing. An example of a comprehensive apparatus of this general type is the Opex System 100, which is manufactured by Opex Corporation of Moorestown, N.J.
Another productivity aid is generally characterized by devices which are used for receiving documents, generally an invoice for payment and a corresponding check or bank draft, and for facilitating the entry of accounting information needed to ready such documents for deposit into the banking system. Such remittance processing devices generally operate to receive previously extracted documents (invoices and checks), for convenient presentation to an operator so that appropriate accounting information may be obtained and entered prior to stacking and subsequent processing (deposit) of such documents. Examples of remittance processing equipment of this general type are the Model S4000, among others, manufactured by Unisys Corp., of Detroit, Mich., and the Modal 9400, among other manufactured by BancTec (CES) of Dallas, Tex.
The above-described extraction devices and remittance processing devices have worked well in enhancing the productivity of mail room and accounting operations by expediting the processing of invoices, thereby reducing the amount of time which it takes to deposit the accompanying checks into the banking system. However, to date, devices for directly combining such functions in automated fashion have not been commercially available. Rather, common practice is for documents to first be extracted from their envelopes by an extraction device, for stacking in appropriate bins or trays, and for office personnel to then hand carry the extracted documents to the remittance processing device so that other personnel may then operate upon them. Such steps are clearly labor intensive, and are preferably avoided in order to enhance productivity and reduce processing times and the potential for error.